Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to millions of children in need each year.

For more than a decade, Lincoln County families have packed shoebox gifts for boys and girls around the world. One such gift reached Dania Yadago in a Middle Eastern Country when she was a young girl. Yadago is visiting Central Kentucky to share how the simple gift had a life-changing impact.

Yadago will share her personal testimony of the impact of a shoebox gift at the Heart of Kentucky Area Operation Christmas Child Kickoff Event at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23, at Junction City First Baptist Church, 3860 US Hwy 127 South, Danville. Yadago wants to encourage Central Kentucky residents to fill shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items – contributing to the global goal of blessing 11 million children with a gift in Jesus’ name.

During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week Nov. 12 – 19, residents can drop off gift-filled shoeboxes at multiple locations across the area, including at Stanford Baptist Church and Pleasant View Baptist Church.

For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through “Follow Your Box” and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child’s specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to children in need around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 157 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.